Welcome to my blog for reviewing the best Mexican restaurants and food in Orange County, CA. I intend to cover as many as I can . . . and all sorts and price ranges: "From taco trucks to fine dining . . . and everything inbetween." Newer entries tend to focus on photos more than words. Number of restaurants covered so far: 268+. See The List

Occupying a spot that used to be part of the regular El Torito chain, this brand new El Torito Grill is part of the Stadium Lofts structure in the new up and coming Platinum Triangle area of Anaheim near Angels Stadium.

As with my visit to El Torito Grill's Irvine location I went this time on a Saturday afternoon with friends Chris and Kristanna.

We started out with complementary hand-made tortillas prepared fresh on the premises with sides of honey butter and two types of salsa:

The guacamole was prepared tableside and was some of the best guacamole I've had in a long time. Fresh avocados mashed (but not too much) right in front of us with diced red onion added to it, fresh squeezed lime juice, brought to a medium degree of spiciness (as voted on by the dining party), and topped with a sprinkling of cotija cheese. I like my guacamole chunky and this was definitely chunky.

When our entrees arrived Kristanna and I promptly dug into our respective dishes then noticed a few moments later that Chris was just sitting there looking at his food, El Torito Grill's signature Santa Fe Torte. Kristanna asked him what the deal was and he said, "It looks so nice I feel guilty eating it." Well, he did eventually eat it and found the eating to be as pleasurable as the looking.

Chris and Kristanna shared the Creme Brulee Cheesecake from the specials menu:

Creme Brulee Cheesecake

I ordered the Peanut Tostada with dulce de leche ice cream in place of the cappucino ice cream:

Peanut Tostada

The service during this visit was excellent with every employee willing to help with any of our needs and to answer any questions we had. All of my experiences at El Torito Grill have been of a consistently high quality. Their version of upscale Mexican dining at prices that don't make you choke on your creme brulee cheesecake earns them a solid four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating: